Most have seen archery in there lives, or have at least come into contact with it through some medium. Whether reading a novel, watching a video, or perhaps

participating in archery themselves. For countless ages the bow and arrow were the controlling factor for survival, whether in times of war or in times of peace. Often mentioned in

history we see many civilizations that developed one form or another of                                                             archery.The ability to strike, with such strength, from a distance was

the reason and purpose of the bow and arrow. If one was simply hunting                                                           to provide provisions for their family through winter, or if it was

during one of the many battles in which archers were employed, or                                                                   whether simply for the recreation of the sport, there were extremely

practical applications for such a tool.

                                                                                                                                                   From Trosper Archery Club 
 
                        
                       
                            A rather decent explanation of the principles of physics involved in the effectiveness of archery can be found at Wikipedia.

                                            "When a projectile is thrown by hand, the speed of the projectile is determined by the kinetic energy
                               imparted by the thrower's muscles performing work. However, the energy must be imparted over a limited
                               distance (determined by arm length) and therefore (because the projectile is accelerating) over a limited time,
                               so the limiting factor is not work but rather power, which determined how much energy can be added in the
                               limited time available ...When a bow is used, the muscles can perform work much more slowly, resulting in
                               greater force and greater work done. This work is stored in the bow as elastic potential energy, and when the
                               bowstring is released, this stored energy is imparted to the arrow much more quickly than muscle would be
                               capable of, resulting in much higher velocity and greater distance...." ("Archery", Wikipedia)
 

Take it with a grain of salt but the basic idea is correct.